So far you have learned about the origins of Islam, the spread of Islam and the Arab people, the formation of a Muslim world comprised of several different kingdoms, and the importance of Jerusalem in Islam.

Next you will learn about one of the most powerful empires in history – the Ottoman Empire. For centuries, the majority of the world’s Arab population lived in this empire and it was the largest and most powerful Muslim state.

The Ottoman Empire began in what is today Western Turkey around the year 1300. In 1453, it conquered Constantinople, one of the most important cities to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (which scholars call the Byzantine Empire during the medieval period). The Ottomans renamed this city Istanbul and made it their capital. This conquest clearly established that the Ottoman Empire was a major power.

From its origins through the late 1600s, the empire continued to grow. Even after its power peaked, it remained influential and controlled vast amounts of land. The Ottoman Empire lasted over 600 years. As you will learn in a later lesson, it was disbanded after its defeat during World War I. The modern country of Turkey is its successor.

Many Americans know about the name change from Constantinople to Istanbul through a popular song. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was first recorded in 1953 and reached #10 in the Billboard charts. It compares the name-change to Istanbul with the name-change to New York, which was originally called New Amsterdam.

Over a dozen bands have covered the song. One of the most famous covers is by the band They Might Be Giants. The song has also been featured in several American TV shows including The Simpsons, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Raising Hope, and Tiny Toon Adventures. It is one of the songs in the video game Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 and is referenced in an Easter egg (an intentional hidden in-joke) in the video game Civilization III.

Click the video below to watch the music video for the They Might be Giants version of the song that was featured in Tiny Toon Adventures.

The Ottomans were ethnically Turkish and religiously Muslim, but their empire was extremely diverse and included many ethnicities and large Jewish and Christian populations. As under earlier Muslim rule, Christians and Jews did not have full equal rights, but were usually protected. In fact, the empire is remembered for being much more tolerant than was common at the time. Ottomans allowed freedom of religion and gave religious communities a wide degree of control over their own affairs. The empire is also remembered as a haven for Jews fleeing persecution in Western Europe.

At the height of its power (16th-17th centuries), the Ottoman Empire controlled large parts of Southeastern Europe, Southwestern Asia, and North Africa. This area included the three holiest cities in Islam (Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem). This and the fact that the Ottoman Empire was the largest and most powerful state in the Muslim world were the major reasons why its rulers claimed to be caliphs and the rightful leaders of the Muslim world.

This map shows the Ottoman Empire at its height. In which period did the empire grow the most?

The Ottoman Empire included the areas that have been most affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict. Notably, every state that has been involved in an Arab-Israeli war has at least some land that was once part of the Ottoman Empire. The entirety of the area where these wars have been fought was once part of the empire.

When the Ottomans first gained control of this region they administered it as part of the province of Greater Syria. Palestine was no longer a political entity during Ottoman rule, though it continued to be used informally as a name for the region. Eventually, Greater Syria was split into several smaller provinces.

For the most part, modern political borders are not based on Ottoman political borders. As you will learn later, political of the modern map of Southwest Asia was created in the early 20th century after the Ottoman Empire’s defeat in World War I.

From the 16th through 20th centuries, most Arabs lived in the Ottoman Empire. The majority of Arabs shared the Muslim religion with the majority of Turks. However, the Turks were not Arabs and nationalist ideas began to spread to Arabs in the late 19th century. These ideas eventually led to Arabs advocating for greater political autonomy and power. In upcoming lessons you will learn what Nationalism is, where it began, and how it impacted Jews and Arabs.

One of the legacies of the Ottoman Empire is the use of the crescent moon and star as a symbol of Muslim countries and organizations. This symbol was not used by Muhammad or by the early Muslim community. Rather, it was an Ottoman symbol. The image above was the flag of the Ottoman Empire.

Since the Ottoman Empire was the world’s largest and most powerful Muslim country for many centuries, the star and crescent became associated with Muslims. Today, the symbol is used by Muslims around the world as a symbol of Islam. For example, it is featured on the national flag of several countries with Muslim majorities including Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Algeria, Tunisia, Comoros, Azerbaijan, and Mauritania. Why do you think these countries included the star and crescent on their flags?

2. Which of the following was not the name of an important Ottoman city during the height of the empire’s power? Constantinople. Jerusalem. Mecca. Istanbul.

3. Which of the following statements about the Ottoman Empire is FALSE? It was the most powerful Muslim kingdom for centuries. Most Arabs lived within its borders. It was intolerant towards religious minorities. Its borders included land in Europe, Asia, and Africa.